Flappers263 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Hello all, aiming to fly to Sydney from London for a reccie and holiday this December with what will be a 4 and a half and a 2 year old - any recommendations / advice?! Thinking of a stopover to break it up to avoid a divorce and child meltdown....initial thoughts are Singapore or Emirates....which is better? the plan is to show the OH that Sydney is the right choice for relocation next year.... many thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 A stopover is always a good idea, both to break the journey up and take the opportunity to see somewhere in the Far East. I have never flown with Singapore or Emirates. I preferred Cathay but my last flight was with Asiana who are based in Seoul. They were very good (although I was flying business class!) I did not stop over but the two flights are more equal in times - circa ten hours rather than one thirteen or twelve hour and one seven or eight. Hong Kong is my fave stopover - reminds me of both London - the double decker buses and ?Nathan? Road as 'Oxford St?' and the harbour and skyline remind me of Sydney. Do kids that age have their own seats? Get bank of four in the middle and 'book end' them? One bonus is that you get extra leg room?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I'm in the "do not prolong the agony" camp personally. Leave late at night and get it over and done with in one hit unless you want to take a week and really see some sights en route. I've travelled with kids and grandkids at various ages over the years and they generally cope better than you do. I've done the little wrapped gift surprise thing and that's a good idea but chances are they are going to sleep much of the first leg then if you find a free spot at the refuelling stop and let them run around like banshees they'll probably get lulled to sleep on the second leg or be transfixed by the myriad cartoons on show. Before you leave though, check whether either has the slightest predilection for motion sickness (go on a long car ride with lots of windy roads) and if they do, then source some travel sick meds and try them out before you fly - some meds can make kids hyper and you don't want them unstick but bouncing off the walls t 30000ft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I'm in the "get it over quickly" camp. We flew with a 4 and 2 year old over to Brisbane it was pretty painless. They slept a fair bit and watched the tv etc. The 4 year old enjoyed playing the games on the tv console thing and wasn't any trouble at all. The 2 year old (she had just turned 2) was much better than expected and the airline (Emirates) gave puppets and colouring etc. Some tips that work for us are a big bag of crayons, and photos - she can spend hours looking at them. Emirates were great, but I have heard that Singapore are amazing so think you'd be right either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We've flown with both Emirates and Singapore and you will be fine with either. Only thing to consider is if you go via Dubai you will probably have an extra stop in Singapore for refueling (well we did anyway). This is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view. Having flown with kids several times I'm in the get it over with camp. In fact I can't think of anything worse than the idea of traisping out of the airport with two fussy eating, tired children to spend a day or two in a hot, humid country, before having to traipse back to the airport to get on another plane. Personally I'd prefer a 5 hour stop in Singapore with a room in the transit hotel so I could have a shower, a bit of privacy and chance to explore the airport with the hand luggage left safely in the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjutant Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 It is better to push through, as long as you only have a couple of hours change over along the way. If you had something like an 8hr changeover I would consder a stop over, but otherwise just push through. Definitely make sure you get seat for the kids and get the bank of 4 seats in the middle. DO NOT book the row behind the bulk head as the arms in these chairs do not lift up, so your kids wont be able to lie down. I've done it twice with young kids and they have been really good. Having there own little TV to watch whatever they want keeps them well amused. Mine caught up on every Disney movie ever made and the trip was basically a 24hr movie marathon for them. I would recommend getting them "Trunkies" as it not only hold there stuff, they can sit on it and be pulled along in the airport which is more helpful than you might think. Also get a 'HuggleBuddy' or something similar as a pillow to take on board. Its fun and familiar to them and more comfortable than the plane pillows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I didn't think Dubai airport was very entertaining for young kids. It's been a while since I've been through Sing, but I have heard they have a soft play area there. Also, if you have a long delay between flights, you can hire a hotel room in the airport for a shower nap - and you don't need to go through immigartion or collect baggage (so I've been told - check it out). I'm a big fan of Emirates, but I'd probably try Sing with young kids. Hardest thing we found was being able to carry enough stuff. Plan your hand luggage so you can carry it and your kids without a stroller. Just in case. If all else fails, don't be scared to beg for help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flappers263 Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 Thanks for the tips and advice; I'm for the get there ASAP camp currently so will need things to keep the two boys entertained :arghh:.... but just like all men :laugh: ... accept that it will be the OH who make the final call :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaunty Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We didn't have enough time for a day's stopover. We had a 2 and 5 yr old when we did the Activation in March last year and I was dreading it. Emirates were great though. Really friendly to the kids, and the entertainment system onboard was really good as there are 100s of films and tv progs. My 2 year old watched Finding Nemo back to back flying out and back- we couldn't get her to watch anything else! Take jimjams (sp?) and favourite cuddly toy and change in the plane and it helps them get to sleep. When we got to Dubai for 2.5 hr stopover we went up to top floor of terminal (Hotel Reception) and there's a gym/ spa/ shower you can use for a small charge. (You can get a shower without paying extra for gym/spa) It also gave us somewhere quiet above the main concourse which is bonkers as all the planes land at 7am ish, although my 5 yr dragged me round wanting to see EVERYTHING! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lara24 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We plan to go via Singapore with a 2/3 day stopover there. We do have friends there but even without I think we would still do the same. I was with the night flight brigade until I discovered that my youngest (just turned 1 this week) will not sleep anywhere apart from a cot/bed in a quiet room. The thought of a night flight when most people are quiet and us with an exhausted and grumpy baby who is also keeping his exhausted and grumpy 4 year old brother awake does scare me so I think we are going to do day flights. We like the idea of getting the longest part of the journey done on the A380 and recover from the jet-lag in SIN (Perth is on the same time-zone) before a 5 hour (I think) flight to Perth. We also plan to buy a seat harness for our youngest to try and keep him in his seat watching tv etc........ Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I would tend to go straight through, no stopover. We did the trip when our twins were just under 2 and it was fine, they spent most of the flight being carried around the plane by the hostesses :-) Emirates and Singapore are my 2 favourite airlines, not much between them to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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